5 Themes of God’s Call
Our lectionary readings are intended to complement each other as they weave together God’s teachings, but some weeks it’s easier to see their patterns than others. Fortunately for me, this is one of those weeks! Though the events in today’s offerings are wrapped in miracles and supernatural circumstances, they all involve God’s call to God’s people. God invites Isaiah, the psalmist, Paul, and Simon Peter to join in renewing God’s dream of creation. And if we look at these call stories closely, we see five themes that can guide us to a greater understanding of how the Holy Spirit is moving in our lives.
The first theme is receptivity – actively listening for God’s still, small voice and being open to God’s beckoning. God himself calls Isaiah to become a prophet – a living reminder of God’s promise to Israel who, as theologian Richard Rohr writes “articulated another way of living” one of “trust, right relationship and becoming” one with God.
Jesus speaks to Paul and Peter, telling them to put aside their vocations of scholar and fisherman, respectively. Jesus wants Paul to proclaim his Good News, especially to the Gentiles. And Jesus tells Peter he’ll leave behind his fishing nets to “catch people.”
I’ve always been a bit uncomfortable with this phrase and its often-translated equivalent of “fishing for people”, as they conjure up images of manipulative proselytizing to lure of folks into pews. But here Jesus uses Peter’s overwhelming catch of fish as a visual reference of Old Testament metaphors to hook people, especially the rich and powerful, gather them together, and remind them of their responsibility to share God’s abundance with the most vulnerable in creation. In turn, God is waiting to catch them in God’s loving embrace.
My own call came from a trusted friend and mentor, who gently asked if I’d ever considered becoming a vocational deacon. I had very few reference points. I grew up in the Episcopal church, but none of the parishes had deacons. I’d heard the Steely Dan song Deacon Blue but was pretty sure that wasn’t helpful. When she told me a deacon is the bridge between the Church and the world, especially encouraging the voices of the marginalized, I was “hooked”, so to speak.
Another theme of call is recognizing that God created each of us specifically and loves us unconditionally. During our Sunday Salon, we’ll explore this theme of our belovedness, but for now, know that God has given you and me everything we need to take our place in God’s expansive community, if we would but believe it. When I first heard and understood the diaconal call, I only knew two people who had pursued it – our former deacon Pete and a history professor with an extensive knowledge of theology and spirituality. I’m not a mental health care professional, like Pete, or an intellectual heavyweight, so I felt like Isaiah and Peter – Me? You must be kidding. Even Paul, his humble brag of “working harder than all” of the apostles notwithstanding, felt he was “unfit to be called” and “the least of all.” Isaiah needed need winged seraphs to touch his lips with a hot coal before he was convinced of his worthiness. My wise mentor assured me that God gives each of us unique gifts for holy work, echoing the psalmist’s observation “The Lord will make good his purpose for me.”
God’s call takes time; that’s our third theme. Isaiah’s call happens six chapters into his book. He’d been speaking truth to power for a while before God sent his winged creatures to commission him as a prophet. Jesus had been to Peter’s house and healed his mother-in-law, so Peter had been around this miracle worker and was familiar Jesus’ teachings. Apparently, Peter needed a miracle of his own to convince him to follow Jesus. And Paul had been hearing Jesus’ message from the Christians he was rounding up and persecuting before accepting Jesus’ invitation to proclaim His Good News. My diaconal call took over three years to come to fruition, involving study, field placement, and a process of discernment aided by individuals and groups of folks who helped me make sense of God’s whisperings.
That point leads me to the fourth call theme – community. It’s not always easy to perceive what God is calling us to do and be; we need each other’s guidance, as well as God’s. Isaiah needs the help of six-winged seraphs and all the heavenly hosts to hear God’s voice. Paul, struck blind, is helped by his friends into Damascus, where is he is compassionately cared for and ultimately healed by Jesus’ disciples. And how could Peter and his partners James and John get all those fish to shore without the help of their community? All of you encouraged my understanding of the diaconal call. I could not have followed this sacred path were it not for your loving care.
The fifth theme – trust - is a summary of the previous four, because well, life happens. And though God’s way is simple, it isn’t easy. Peter bowed to political pressure, denying Jesus before recognizing him as the Messiah and working tirelessly to spread his gospel of love. Isaiah heard the holy hosts praising God and responded by saying, “Here I am! Send me!” before he really knew what God wanted. The psalmist says, “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe” “Your right hand shall save me.”
My discernment process was marked by joys and struggles – the death of my sister, the birth of three of my grandchildren (OK, there was a set of twins), a move to a new home, and assorted illnesses. I told my spiritual director and anyone who would listen that I was holding the call lightly, and I knew that I could pause my diaconal work at any time. My mantra became a verse from John 15 “Abide in me, as I abide in you”, and somehow, there was always time and grace to accomplish God’s purposes.
So, Peter, Paul, the psalmist, and Isaiah help us understand five themes of Divine call—being open to God, recognizing our gifts, taking time, discerning in community, and trusting God’s direction. It’s important to note that God’s call is different for each of us and changes from season to season in our lives, but we all have a part to part to play in the restoration of God’s creation, torn apart as it is by division and exclusion. Theologian Henri Nouwen reminds us “Before all distinctions, the separations, and the walls built on foundations of fear, there was a unity in the heart and mind of God. Out of that unity, you are sent into this world for a little while to claim that you and every other human being belongs to the same God of Love who lives from eternity to eternity.”
